JALOBERT, MACÉ, brother-in-law and companion of Jacques Cartier on his voyages. Son of Bertrand Jalobert and Jehanne Maingard, he had married Alizon Des Granches, sister of Cartier’s wife, about 1528.

As captain and pilot of the Petite Hermine, Jalobert was a member of the 1535–36 expedition, which included several of Cartier’s relatives. The Petite Hermine set sail on 19 May 1535, along with the Grande Hermine and the Emérillon, but it was separated from the others by bad weather from 25 June on, and Jalobert succeeded in rejoining Cartier only at Blanc Sablon, on 26 July. In the autumn of 1535, Jalobert was among those who accompanied Cartier to Hochelaga. He returned to France in July 1536.

In May 1541, Jalobert joined the expedition consisting of five ships which Cartier was responsible for leading to Canada. The crossing from Brittany to Newfoundland took three months; then on 2 September of the same year, Jalobert and Étienne Noël [see Jacques Noël] took to sea again, for Cartier sent them back to report to François I “what had been done and found.” What then became of Macé Jalobert? We do not know whether he returned to Canada in 1542 with La Rocque de Roberval’s expedition. In 1555 he was still going to sea, because a document describes him as master of the Marguerite Bonaventure sailing out of Saint-Malo. This is the last mention of Jalobert.

We acknowledge the support of the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage. Nous reconnaissons l’appui du gouvernement du Canada par l’entremise du ministère du Patrimoine canadien.